Polishing machine



June 30, 1925.

W. SCH NELL POLISHING MACHINE a Q MW MN AW m m. u m R \Q J u J 311px::-:L:#-::T&m g

H ovmo agv @60 Juno 0 o Q FM 3 u w 4' u v mm ML N ml m Ill 1| hwfilllrflll D Flllllw.

M @QQQQWfi m I, 1 w

June 30, 1925.

. 1 ,544,185 w. SCHNELL POLISHING MACHINE Filed April 4, 1923 3Sheets-Sheet 2 June 30, 1925.

W. SCHNELL POLISHING MACHINE Filed April 4, 1925 MN m nQenicm afafiviz,

eet 5 I 5 Sheets-Sh "11 @11 N J vi I I illll ilillg Patented June 30,1925.

- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

" WILLIAM SCHNELL, or DETROIT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR To SHEPARD ART METALCOMPANY, 015 DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN.

POLISHING MACHINE.

Application filed April 4, 1923. Serial No. 629,766.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that IVILLIAM SCHNELL, citizen of the United States,residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of Michigan, hasinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Polishing -Machines, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a machine for simultaneously polishing platedarticles or other articles requiring polishing. Specifically considered,the machine is intended to polish the trunk rack bars that are now socommonly attached to the back of automobile bodies.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the machine.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the rear end of the machine.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal section showing the drive.

Fig. 4 is a vertical cross section through a portion of the machine.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of one of the carriages.

Fig. 6 is a section on the line 66 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a section on the line 7-7 of Fig. 5.

Referring to the plan view-in Fig. 1, it will be seen that a pair ofsprockets a, and b are employed and a conveyor chain c. This conveyorchain has upstanding lugs (Z and runs between a pair of channel bars 7and g which have their backs opposed and which form a track or groove inwhich the chain runs. Preferably, the filler strip j is provided at thebottom of the groove and on this is a hardened guide strip 71. There arealso lateral hardened guide strips k and m. On the top flanges of thechannels are bolted the hardened strips n on which slide the shoe strips0 of the carriage p. This carriage g) has interposed between the shoestrips 0 and the main body of the carriage, compression springs 1".

On the top of the carriage are a pair of springsp'aced clamping bars 8and t relatively movable with respect to each other. Figs. 6 and 7 showhow the clamping bars are secured to the carriage. The clamping bar 8(Fig. 6) is provided with a depending pin u, having an enlarged squaredportion 4) adapted to slide in the groove w in the base plate of thecarriage p. A block y is secured to the underside of the plate an end ofwhich abuts the bar 3 rigidly secured to the plate a: and the other endabutting against a screw machine product 4 which bears against thedepending pin u carried by the clamping bar 8. A set screw 5 adjustablysets the bar 8 in different positions against the tension of the spring2. The plate is provided with the slots 6 to allow the pin suificientplay.

The bar t is similarly held under spring tension (Fig. 7) and isprovided with the depending pin 7 slidable in the slot 8- in the platecc. A block 3 is secured to the underside of the plate and contains acompression spring element which bears against the depending pin 7 toforce the clamping bar If outwardly.

The bar 8 when properly adjusted is thus held stationary. The pivotedlevers 9 have an eccentric terminal 10 adapted to contact with thespring pressed bar t whereby actuation of the pivoted levers will causethe eccentric to force the bar inwardly against the spring tension. Abar 12 such as shown in Fig. 4 can be laid in this carriage and byshifting the levers as described the clamping bar t will bind againstthe work and hold it in place.

The operator at the head of the machine clamps the workin the carriageby simply laying one of the strips in the space between the two clampingbars 3 and 6. He then throws the levers '9 to hold the work on thecarriage. This is done on the upper inactive portion of the track 20. Hethen shoves the carriage along the track until it comes above the run ofchain rounding the sprocket wheel I). This run of chain carries theupstanding lugs d, while the carriage is provided with a downwardlyextending lug 21. Obviously, the chain immediately picks up the carriageand carries it forward under the polishing wheels 22 under the buflingwheels 23 and under the coloringwheel 24:. The buffing, polishing andcoloring wheels are obliquely but oppositely disposed across the lineoftravel of the chain. The coloring wheel is a plural groove wheelintended to reach down into the crevices and depressions formed in thebars for ornamentation. Each wheel is provided with a driving motor M.These wheels are constructed of felt or other soft material and providedwith a surface for effecting the polishing and buffing-operation. A softpolishing soap or compound is continually applied to the wheels toprovide the polishing medium.

These trunk rack bars may be made either of steel and nickel plated, 01'they may be aluminum; in either case they need polishing on the exposedsurface.

After the carriage has traveled through the wheels, which will bereferred to generically as the polishing wheels it is carried on to thelower inactive track portion 25. Here an attendant unclamps the clampingbars, removes the rack bar and lifts the carriage on to the oppositetrack, 26. He shoves it ahead until the chain catches it and carries itback to the head of the ma.- chine where the feeding operator can againload it with one of the bars. v This machine is a labor saving machineas it does'not require a man to be continuously holding the article incontact with the polishing wheel. In short,- t-wo men are practicallyoperating five polishing wheels or even more, at one time. All they haveto do is to load and unload the carriages while the conveyor carries thework through the polishing wheels.

These trunk rack bars are of different widths and the clamping bars areso adjustable that any size bar can be clamped on the carriage.Sometimes the rack bars are of such a width that two or more of them canbe clamped on one carriage.

lVhat I claim is:

1. In a machine for the purpose specified, the combination of aplurality of polishing wheels arranged in a line, a guide along the lineof polishing wheels, a conveyor running along part only of the saidguide, and clamping carriages for clamping the work removably to thecarriages and which can be pushed along one end of-the guide to becoupled up with the conveyor to carry the work along the line ofpolishing wheels and in contact with the same.

2. In a machine for the purpose specified,

carry the same along, the first guide in contact with the polishingwheels and which may be again coupled up with the return conveyor in thereturn guide to ,return the unloaded carriages.

3. In a machine for the purpose specified, the combination of a trackand a return track side by side, a pair of sprockets at the head andrear ends of said tracks, a conveyor chain running in the firstmentioned track and in the return track and passing around said sprocketwheels, pick up lugs on said chain, a plurality of polishing wheelsalong the first mentioned track continuously driven, and work carriagesguided in the tracks and which can be coupled up with the lugs of theconveyor chain to carry the work through the polishing wheels and whichmay be again coupled up with the return track and conveyor chain whenunloaded to return the carriage.

4. In a machine for the purpose specified,-

the combination of a line of polishing wheels, a track running along theline of polishing wheels and beyond the same, a

conveyor chain along the track for part of its length alone and providedwith means for picking up a carriage, and clamping carriages forsupporting the work and which can be pushed along the track to be pickedup by the conveyor chain and carried through the polishing Wheels.

In testimony whereof I 'aflix my signature.

' WILLIAM SCHNELL.

